Document 3 - “Keep The Flag Flying”

Letter from Charles to Dorothy, 10 March 1915

Linklater wrote his first letter to Dorothy from the ship that was carrying his unit to Egypt.

Port Said, Egypt
10 March 1915

We have had a good voyage, only one rough day... I notice the Australian infantry are being shifted to Turkey and hope they send us there, we will most likely follow in a month or so. Well they are coaling this ship, about 500 or 600 men are doing it...

Coming through the [Suez] Canal, which is lined with Indian troops and some Territorials, it made your blood course through your veins with pride the manner the Indians were cheering and how patriotic they seemed. Every steamer you see is carrying the “old flag” and showing the world how we rule the waves. My fighting blood has awakened now at seeing what Britain is doing and I will do my utmost to keep the flag flying. It got dark when we were half way up the canal and we missed seeing the best sights and biggest camps. We saw a French warship and our men all cheered them and they dropped everything they were doing and rushed to the side and tried to give an English “Hip Hip Hurray”...

We cannot go ashore until the medical officer at this port has a look at us. I have two men very ill and will have to put them in hospital tomorrow and will have to discharge one unlucky individual and I'm sure he will break up when he knows it.

Don't worry about me as I will never see a shot fired, this war will be over before many months are past. I think now it is the beginning of the end. Germany being tied up on the water and the Dardanelles and Constantinople taken will soon settle it. The... 15 inch guns of the Queen Elizabeth [navy warship] are the surprise and wonder of the world as they are bombarding the Turkish forts out of sight and they will do the same at Heliogoland and the Germans will never see them...

Source: Australian War Memorial Private Record 2DRL/0174.

Ask Yourself

  1. Does Linklater consider himself British or Australian?
  2. What evidence is there of the Australian soldiers' morale?
  3. What was occurring at Gallipoli around the time Linklater wrote this? How accurate is his knowledge of this?
  4. Is there any evidence that Dorothy was concerned about Linklater going to war?